Altbier

[Sandy Feet]

I was just playing around with some ideas. I either want to do an Altbier or an ESB after my Saison. I know Sunfire had done an Altbier.
I basically took the Mean Brews recipe and adjusted it a little. I can't do anything fancy with the mash, so it has to be single infusion. I know, I know, it is supposed to be step mashed, but I want to see what I get doing it the simple way.
65.4% Pils (probably the good, floor malted shit)
13.5% Munich I
7.7% Vienna
3.8% Munich II
3.8% Caramunich III
3.8% Aromatic
1.9% Carafa Special III
0.75 oz Magnum @60
2.25 oz Saaz @10
I have never tried WLP036, but I guess that is the yeast to use.
I probably need to Mash around 148 because of the BIAB and all the darker malts. I would probably mash for around 70 minutes.
I would love to hear what you would change as this is just a first idea.

 

[Donoroto]

Only on the topic of step mashes: a decoction is pretty easy. Take out 1/4 to 1/3 of the mash, boil it on the stove, then dump it back in. Instant temperature increase.

So if you have 6 gallons of mash at 122F, and you want to go up to 145F, you take out 25% and when you add that 210F to the mash the temp bumps up to 144-ish. (210-122= 88, 88/4=22, so it adds 22F to the system.)(I think. Maybe it’s 88/3?)

 

[Megary]

I’ve never made an Alt, but I do plan on making one later this year. Probably early fall. I really like Zum Uerige, which I believe is a bit different from most other alts…a bit more bitter, less obvious malt presence, crisper.

I plan on staying true to this:
https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/11/lets-brew-wednesday-zum-uerige-alt.html

Sorry, that’s really no help with your recipe. Good luck with it, I’ll be following your progress.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I may think about that at some point in time. I need to work out some timing and logistics so I don't burn the shit out of myself getting in a hurry when I carry it back outside and trying to figure out the scenario of what to do with the bag.
Before I mash, I have 8 gallons of water. Even after the water is absorbed by the grain, it is still 7 gallons. It is single vessel, so I don't recirculate. All the grain and the water are all mixed in together. If I pull out wort, the grain is mixed in, and it would probably burn on the stove. I could lift the bag, but I don't know how much that screws up my temps.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I’ve never made an Alt, but I do plan on making one later this year. Probably early fall. I really like Zum Uerige, which I believe is a bit different from most other alts…a bit more bitter, less obvious malt presence, crisper.

I plan on staying true to this:
https://barclayperkins.blogspot.com/2014/11/lets-brew-wednesday-zum-uerige-alt.html

Sorry, that’s really no help with your recipe. Good luck with, I’ll be following your progress.

I might need to play with my hops. My reading leads me to believe it is a balance of malt/hop like an ESB, but different in almost every other way.
I was looking at 40IBUs because the Munich and the darker malts are going to get that thing sweet.
Some of that grain bill starts to get very close to a Dubbel without the wheat.

 

[Dave Y]

I was just playing around with some ideas. I either want to do an Altbier or an ESB after my Saison. I know Sunfire had done an Altbier.
I basically took the Mean Brews recipe and adjusted it a little. I can't do anything fancy with the mash, so it has to be single infusion. I know, I know, it is supposed to be step mashed, but I want to see what I get doing it the simple way.
65.4% Pils (probably the good, floor malted shit)
13.5% Munich I
7.7% Vienna
3.8% Munich II
3.8% Caramunich III
3.8% Aromatic
1.9% Carafa Special III
0.75 oz Magnum @60
2.25 oz Saaz @10
I have never tried WLP036, but I guess that is the yeast to use.
I probably need to Mash around 148 because of the BIAB and all the darker malts. I would probably mash for around 70 minutes.
I would love to hear what you would change as this is just a first idea.

I love me some malt forward Alt.
I don’t think you need the cara’s. You don’t fancy mash either. Single infusion, 151-152F. At 40 IBU, I might mash in a little higher. I did about 60/40 Pils to Munich and yes, the fancy ‘barke’ stuff.
I threw in some small additions of chocolate and pale chocolate - you’ve got it covered with the Carafa sp3. Mine came in 25 IBUs. I’ve done a few times now. When I subbed in some Munich 2, it wasn’t the crowd pleaser as with Munich 1. I’ve run white labs and imperial German Ale yeast - that stuff is strong. I got an addaboy from the local club with it and like I said, a simple mash bill actually works quite well with the Alt.

Even at only 25 IBU, it’s not ’sweet’ or cloying, but the malt does outshine the hops a bit. I could probably safely go to 30-35 IBU with it but this beer is neighbor tested, and hits the palate of swill drinkers to beer snobs and a wide range of folks in between.

 

[Sandy Feet]

I was working off of a framework recipe, but I am very comfortable using Chocolate 350 instead of the Carafa, and if I could take one or two things out, I might. Thanks, I appreciate the input. Those hops are not set in stone either. I think a do want the Saaz, but I could change the bittering.

 

[Dave Y]

Your hops look fine to me, you just need some old world hops in there and you do. I like Tettnanger & Hallertauer but Saaz is solid.

 

[Josh Hughes]

You could also go simple Pils, Munich, touch of a dark roast of some kind 30 ibu at beginning of boil any noble hop. Red x is nice to get some of the Cara and melanoidan without Cara and melanoidan. It’s as fermentable as Munich II

 

[Bigbre04]

I was just playing around with some ideas. I either want to do an Altbier or an ESB after my Saison. I know Sunfire had done an Altbier.
I basically took the Mean Brews recipe and adjusted it a little. I can't do anything fancy with the mash, so it has to be single infusion. I know, I know, it is supposed to be step mashed, but I want to see what I get doing it the simple way.
65.4% Pils (probably the good, floor malted shit)
13.5% Munich I
7.7% Vienna
3.8% Munich II
3.8% Caramunich III
3.8% Aromatic
1.9% Carafa Special III
0.75 oz Magnum @60
2.25 oz Saaz @10
I have never tried WLP036, but I guess that is the yeast to use.
I probably need to Mash around 148 because of the BIAB and all the darker malts. I would probably mash for around 70 minutes.
I would love to hear what you would change as this is just a first idea.

I would ditch one of the munichs probably munich 1 in favor of more munich 2. I generally use Vienna OR Munich as they sort of serve similar purposes in my mind. probably wouldnt bother with the aromatic, especially if you are using Munich and Vienna.

This style cries for Special X or Extra special malt IMO.

of course i would sub out the pils for 2 row...

subbing in some 300L chocolate would be very nice.

What SRM and IBu are you shooting for?

 

[Donoroto]

I may think about that at some point in time. I need to work out some timing and logistics so I don't burn the shit out of myself getting in a hurry when I carry it back outside and trying to figure out the scenario of what to do with the bag.
Before I mash, I have 8 gallons of water. Even after the water is absorbed by the grain, it is still 7 gallons. It is single vessel, so I don't recirculate. All the grain and the water are all mixed in together. If I pull out wort, the grain is mixed in, and it would probably burn on the stove. I could lift the bag, but I don't know how much that screws up my temps.

Nope, you need to pull water and grain for a decoction. Not just liquid.

At noted, you don’t need to do a step mash, but it does make a small but definite difference.

 

[Dave Y]

you don’t need to do a step mash, but it does make a small but definite difference

IDK... it’s not a wheat or rye beer, I’d ask here - ‘is the juice worth the squeeze’? (no pun intended)

 

[Donoroto]

IDK... it’s not a wheat or rye beer, I’d ask here - ‘is the juice worth the squeeze’? (no pun intended)

Depends. If you want to make the best beer you can, then the effort is to be made. If good enough is good enough, then that’s good enough.

That said, there’s not a lot of ‘juice’ in most beers.